Denial
by elisheva
Summary: A glimpse at the life and times of Lisbon and Jane.


**A/N: Not mine. Just want you to enjoy. **

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When she walked into Mancuso's, she felt a twinge of nervousness. Yes, she, Teresa Lisbon, was nervous. She hadn't seen Sam since she'd joined the CBI years ago. In fact, Lisbon was shocked to hear Sam's voice but eagerly made plans for dinner. Now, looking around the beautiful restaurant, she easily spotted her friend sitting at the bar.

As if sensing her eyes on her, Sam turned on the bar stool, then, seeing Lisbon, squealed and jumped up to meet the agent, embracing her in a tight hug. "Teresa, I've missed you!"

Their waiter led them to a booth and, once seated, the two women took a moment to look over each other.

"Teresa, I love your hair that length. And you're letting it curl!"

Lisbon smiled. "I see you're still in fashion."

Sam plucked at her dress. "What, this old thing?" They both laughed.

After ordering drinks and figuring out what they were eating they began to catch up.

"You got married and didn't invite me?" Lisbon exclaimed.

"No! I said I got _engaged_. It took me a year after that to realize the man was an idiot. You know, love is blind and all that. So, how about you?"

Lisbon smirked. "My eyes are wide open."

Sam smiled. "You have a special man in your life?"

"Uh, no," she said, taking a sip of wine.

"Why not? You're smart and beautiful."

"I'm also at work most of the time."

"Well, aren't there any attractive guys there?"

Lisbon paused only for a moment but it was enough for Sam.

"Aha! You thought of someone."

Lisbon struggled not to blush. "There are several nice looking men at work. But just because they make good eye-candy doesn t mean I want to date them."

Sam opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Lisbon's cell phone.

Lisbon looked at the screen then groaned. She silenced the ringer and placed the phone on the table.

Sam looked at her. "If you need to get that."

"No way. It's just my pain-in-the-ass consultant. We are off this weekend. Jane just likes to bug the crap out of me. Probably just bored."

Sam smiled at her friend's ire. "Well, if you want, Jane can join us."

"Nope!" she said, adamantly only to look down to see she received a text that read, 'Very important!' She was trying to decide what to do- if Jane was playing her or not- when he called her back. She snatched her phone open and growled, "This _better_ be important, Jane."

He chuckled. "Hey to you too, Lisbon."

"What do you want?"

"Why the attitude, my dear?"

Lisbon wished she could reach through the phone and strangle him. "Jane, you're interrupting something. I'm hanging up now."

"What am I interrupting?"

Against her best judgment she answered him. "Dinner with a friend."

"I'm a friend."

"You can't come."

"I think I will. See you in a few!"

"Jane! He had hung up. Damnit!" Then she thought of something. "I've never been here."

Sam rauised her eyebrows. "Problems?"

"Jane thinks where I'm having dinner will be easy to find but I've never been here so there are no clues," she said, smugly.

"Jane sounds like a stalker."

"You have no clue."

As they talked more and her phone stayed quiet Lisbon allowed herself to relax and thought she was safe.

Until the waitress brought out their food and Lisbon felt eyes on her seconds before the waitress muttered, "Look at _him_."

Of course she instinctively looked, and , knowing him, constantly seeing him, she managed to keep her glare even as he connected eyes with her across the room. Offering her a patented Patrick Jane grin and a jauntily wave, he made his way to their booth oblivious to the many stares he was receiving.

"Teresa," Sam hissed, "do you know him?"

He was in front of them before she could answer. He pointed at the chair next to Lisbon's. "Is this seat taken?"

She looked at him straight-faced and said, "Yep. Our dates will be back in a moment."

Jane grinned and actually tapped her gently on the nose. "I think it's cute you still think you can lie to me."

"Bite me," she muttered.

He sat down and took a brief moment to study the blond woman staring at him from across the table. He graced her with his lethal heart-stopping smile and reached out his hand. "Patrick Jane," he introduced himself.

"Samantha Leary." Then she frowned. "Wait, Jane?"

"Yep."

She looked at Lisbon. "Your pain-in-the-ass consultant?"

"Oh, yes," Lisbon said as Jane cheerfully added, "That's me!"

"But I thought you were a girl."

Lisbon snorted as Jane looked hurt. "It's the curls, isn t it."

The waitress came up then. "Sir, what can I get you tonight?"

Jane looked at Lisbon's chicken parmesan. "I'll have that," he pointed. He glanced at the glass in Lisbon's hand. "What are we drinking?"

"Wine," she answered, shortly.

In response, he placed his hand over hers around the stem and led the glass to his mouth to take a sip, her hand trapped under his. If he noticed her outrage he didn't show it as he told the waitress to bring a bottle of the wine and another glass.

Once her hand was released she snatched it away, rubbing it as if it was scalded. "What are you here?" she asked him with a sharp glare.

He grabbed a warm breadstick from the basket on the table. "I was in the office bored and hungry and went looking for you to go out to get some food. You must have been in_ such_ a hurry to leave you didn't say goodbye."

How he managed to give her a sad face while shoving bread in his mouth was beyond her. "I don't have to tell you everything."

"True. But you don t normally have any plans I don't know about."

She rolled her eyes. "How'd you find me?"

He pointed to his head. "Our minds are linked, my dear."

"Linked?" Sam repeated and Lisbon suddenly felt guilty for momentarily forgetting about her friend.

Jane fancies himself a mind reader. She pointed at Jane. "And don t you go reading Sam. I'm not in the mood." Then a thought struck her. "Wait a moment, I wrote the restaurant down. You broke into my office, didn't you!"

He shrugged, working on another breadstick. "I don't remember the door being locked."

"Damnit, Jane! How many times have I told you not to break in there?"

"Not as many times as I've actually done it," he told her nonchalantly.

She looked down at her cooling food and began to cut it up. "You're irritating."

Sam spoke up. "I believe I need to run to the restroom to wash my hands."

Jane leaned towards Lisbon, "That's your cue to run and talk about me."

"I hardly think she wants to."

"Teresa, you coming?"

Lisbon got up but looked at the man currently eyeing her food. "You touch that food, you're dead," she threatened before weaving her way to the back of the restaurant.

As soon as the door closed Sam pounced. "Oh my God, that man is gorgeous. Why didn't you tell me?"

Lisbon shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. "I see him nearly every day. I'm mostly immune to his charm."

"He likes you," Sam announced brightly.

"He likes to annoy me," she corrected.

Sam fluffed her hair." That wedding ring- is he happily married?"

Lisbon couldn t believe she was in the restroom doing exactly what Jane predicted. "He's unhappily widowed."

"He's gorgeous and he can't keep his eyes off of you. Go for it."

"We don't like each other like that. He's definitely not over his wife and he's a colleague. The answer is no."

Sam shrugged. "Fine. Both of you can continue living in denial but it will bite you in the ass someday."

Back at the table Lisbon noticed that Jane finished cutting her chicken and she looked at him suspiciously. "Did you eat any of it?"

"Why must you always think ill of me, woman?"

She noticed the basket was empty and sighed. "What's the matter with you? Cho went to the sub shop for lunch today."

"I know. And I ordered one. But Rigsby got to it first."

She laughed and told Sam, "Rigsby is my agent that eats anything that doesn't eat him first. Jane, why did' t you eat his?"

Jane made a face." Have you seen his s"andwiches? I ordered something that was a complete opposite of his and figured if he didn't notice _that_ much of a difference he was clearly hungrier than I was.

"Sam, I work with a bunch of children."

Jane's food arrived, the wine was refilled, and Lisbon began to relax and to enjoy herself. Before she realized it, she was having to say goodbye to her friend, making vague promises but not really sure when they would see each other again.

Jane walked her to her car but as she was about to open the door she turned to look at him. "Jane, are we in denial?"

His eyes, which connected with hers, flicked for a brief second before he raised an eyebrow. "About what, Lisbon?"

She let out the breath she didn t realize she was holding. "Exactly."

"Be careful driving home," he told her.

"See you Monday," she said.

They both went their separate ways into the night.


End file.
